Financial Assistance and Supplemental Training for 3-year General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) Students Continues
In 2024, we provided financial assistance to 150 (50 new and 100 renewed) GNM students, selected based on poverty. The students also receive soft skills training called ‘Nursing for Life’, basic training in palliative care, and martial arts training for safety awareness. A video clip of Conversations with 2nd year students during the assistance renewal shows that the students are progressing well into becoming capable and confident caregivers in their nursing duties at the hospitals. We are currently seeking donations for the continuation of this program in 2025.
Sustainable Livelihood for Adivasi Women and Girls Through Poultry Farming
SEEDS provided start-up cost (material, training, and support) for two separate home-based poultry farming projects for Adivasi women and girls, one in Angul, Odisha, implemented by VIRD, and the second one in Buguda, Odisha, implemented by I.N.D.I.A. Both these NGOs have been working with disadvantaged communities for years and had reached out to us for help. We are monitoring the progress of these two already funded projects.
Field Technician Training in Refrigeration and A/C for Adivasi Youth
Researching into short duration, low cost, high quality vocational skill training opportunities with high employability, SEEDS selected a one-month (125 hours) A/C Field Technician (RAC) training by Mishra
Refrigeration. Partnering with AWARD, an NGO that is vested in educating tribal youth, we sponsored a pilot RAC training for 20 college students from poor rural and tribal communities. The pilot showed that the training was effective. Students needing jobs were able to find placement right after the training. All students gained confidence for future job search, benefitting from the soft skill and entrepreneurship skill training that was part of the RAC training modules. Learning from this
experience, SEEDS is continuing to research and apply itself more into this much needed area of employable skill training for the very poor. We are seeking donations for vocational trainings in 2025.
Addition of 1700 sq. ft. of Classroom and Residential Space
With financial support and supervision from SEEDS, construction of a second floor for the existing school building facility of Sri Aurobindo Punanga Siksha Kendra in Dolapadi, Bhadrak, Odisha was completed and the new space was inaugurated this year. This new floor provides daytime classroom space and nighttime sleeping space for students from nearby villages. Donations for a future hostel facility will be appreciated.
Support for Bartika Learning Center in West Bengal through partnership with SPADE
Through a partnership with SPADE, an NGO in West Bengal with a mission similar to that of SEEDS, we are supporting a Learning Center for disadvantaged women and girls in the Purulia district of West Bengal. SPADE has a donor base in the US that has connected with SEEDS to support this project.
New Volunteers Needed
In 2024, Manas Pattanaik of Houston joined the SEEDS Board and is focusing on developing the SEEDS- India team. Sudhanshu Mohanty and Bijay Patra, both with a wealth of experience, have joined the SEEDS-India team and are helping us identify quality vocational skilling resources as well as disadvantaged communities who can be benefitted by them. Mamta Rath of Dallas has joined SEEDS as a new volunteer. We need new volunteers to keep our website and social media pages current, creating a Wikipedia page, helping with communication, event planning, community engagement, and fundraising. If you know anyone who would like to contribute their skills and time, please share this newsletter with them.
Events, Community Engagement, and Honorees
In celebration of 30+ years of its journey, in February 2024, SEEDS organized a fun online event, where an Antakshari game was played by 4 teams in the friendly competition: Georgia Flamingos, Illinois Egrets, Ohio Herons, and Texas Storks. We provided information about SEEDS through videos and speakers and honored our senior volunteers Sri Gopal Mohanty and Lalu Mansinha for their past contributions that inspire us.
We appreciate you! We need you!
2024 has been an active year at SEEDS. We appreciate all the people, whose interest, time, and financial commitment made all this possible. Thank you!!! SEEDS is fortunate to have its founding members still active and contributing even after 30 years. We also have been fortunate to have a small number of committed donors who have been supporting our work for years. However, we need a continuous flow of new volunteers and donors to keep the organization active for the next 30 years. Please check our website for more information and make a donation. To volunteer, contact us at info@seedsnet.org.
Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Meaningful 2025!
Mamata Misra
On behalf of SEEDS